Opening of Lounge eatery in Newmarket at former Barclays moves closer

The opening of a new eatery in Newmarket town centre has taken a step further.

Loungers Plc is set to invest about £1 million and create 30 jobs by transforming the former Barclays at 58-60 High Street into a Lounge.

Yesterday it gained approval for planning and listed building consent for a ventilation system and to make changes inside the premises including new partitions to create rooms for the bar and restaurant, toilets, kitchen and cellar.

Meanwhile, plans have been submitted for signage at the café bar, which will be called Potro Lounge.

They include two illuminated fascia signs, an illuminated hanging sign, an illuminated menu board sign and three non-illuminated fascia signs.

In April, Loungers Plc submitted a premises licence application, which said the site would be open from 8am to 12.30am, Monday to Sunday.

Loungers runs hundreds of sites across the country through The Lounge and Cosy Club brands including in Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury.

Barclays closed the bank in June because less than 10 customers used the branch regularly as the only way to do their banking.

The Grade II listed three-storey property was formerly known as Buckingham House and was built in the mid-1800s.